We don't go anywhere we need directions to anyway. Now we don't go st all so no need for any maps.Unless we forget where the feed store is .
If I'm headed to a place I've never been to around town, before I leave I always use Google StreetView, to recognize the buildings along the way. StreetView keeps surprisingly up to date in towns. I'd have to pull off the road every time I looked at the map on the computer screen in the truck. I don't seem to be able to concentrate on very many things at the same time anymore. Haven't been more than 50 miles out of town for years.
When you are in town and stop at a place that has free Wifi connection, can you update your maps from that connection, @John Brunner ? Almost all fast food places have free Wifi connection, as do doctors offices, and even some supermarkets.
I'm the same way. 90% of my cars have been cash & carry, and then sold for a profit when I traded up to less-of-a-junker. My last car was a 1990 Volvo that met its demise in an encounter with Bambi's grandson. Being in the country with less-than-reliable transportation was a real life limiter. I ended up buying new when I was shopping for low mileage used because I discovered that the high value of used cars at the higher Used Car Interest Rates yielded a payment darn near new cars at 0% dealer financing. Just between us, I was on the fence regarding which way to go when a family member sold his business, retired, and was settling up legacy debt. It seems I had loaned that brother some money along the way and just wrote it off because he's a good guy and I was happy to help a responsible adult. I got his phone call telling me to expect a check, so I went to the Mazda dealer and placed my order. It certainly did not pay for the car, but it helped make some payments.
I don't know if they choke back the speed for that free stuff. I've read stories of these updates taking hours to download requiring multiple restarts. I've thought of going to the library or other places I know of, but don't want to run into issues where the download gets compromised and I'm stuck with no NAV system whatsoever. Maybe I'll get fiber internet installed before my free period expires.
Interesting. Not so here...I guess. I've not compared rates from state-to-state. Virginia charges Personal Property Taxes. That's my most-resented new car cost. If you own it, they tax it: cars, boats, motorcycles, utility trailers. Most of my life I've driven cars that have been assessed the minimum tax because of their [lack of] Blue Book Value. That's why I didn't cry too much when I bought that new car...I've sacrificed a lot along the way, and don't really do things that cost much money. I'm as happy at a BINGO pot luck as I am at anything else. And my go-to justification is that I quit drinking a long time ago, so I always tell myself that I'm spending the beer money I've saved. It's likely not factually accurate, but I'm easy to fool
We have both. We use a Tom Tom gps when driving to new places. It came with a free lifetime update of maps of Europe. We bought a US map for it when we were there. It’s never failed us. We have paper maps of Scandinavia and Europe that we mark with the different routes we’ve taken on vacation. It’s fun to be able to see where we’ve driven
Real Pirate Treasure Maps Have Never Existed If you were rummaging through antique stores, and grans old collectibles hoping to find some real pirate treasure maps, please cease and desist. You could really be wasting a lot of your time, and there’s a real good reason for stopping too. You see, real pirate treasure maps have never existed. Not even once in all recorded history. How disappointing is this for treasure hunters? The task just got that little bit more difficult. But why aren’t there any maps? Was Hollywood lying to us? READ MORE
I am more like Ken in that I have and use GPS but keep an atlas in the car. A GPS comes in very handy on the motorcycle when you're chasing back roads and paths that don't even show up on a map. You can also mount your iPhone on the handlebars and use it to navigate; however, Apple has warned that the vibrations can ruin the smart phone's camera. Since I don't like the smart phone camera, that's not a worry. The thing I like about the motorcycle's GPS is that it also serves as a bike monitor, displaying the various engine, tire and electrical parameters.
I never though of using Street View to get my bearings before embarking to a new environment. Regarding computer screens...for all of the safety stuff these new vehicles have, I swear those screens are a danger. I have never rear-ended another car in my life, but came real close the first week I got my new car and my nose was stuck in the screen trying to do something. Perhaps your NAV system has voice guidance.
I am thinking the various computer screens in a car (e.g., GPS, in-dash monitor, etc.) need to be treated like an aircraft cockpit display in that you need to be able to scan but not fixate on them. Do your fiddling before you take off or start to drive, not when you need to maintain proximate situational awareness. I really like my car's HUD (Heads Up Display) and wish it displayed more info.
The thing about the computer screens is that the radio controls are there. In the past I could reach down and know exactly where my manual presets were without taking my eyes off of the road. Now I cannot do that, but the thing does have Voice Commands...you just need to know the station ID#. My car (2019 Mazda) also has a HUD, and like you, I wish it had more information (engine coolant temp would be nice, oil pressure is not even measured.) It displays the NAV directions including the upcoming turn and the miles to go until that turn, so that's a handy thing to have. Some time ago these HUDs included the tachometer, but Mazda decided that it was "too distracting," so they removed it during an unrelated system software upgrade (not that I really care about the tach in an automatic.) I doubt they are open to adding more info. Lawyers rule the world...